LOUISVILLE, Ky. — When was the last time someone read to you? For some Jefferson County high school students, that happened only recently. Local “celebrities” from the community read some of the works of black authors to the students.
what you need to know
- The National African-American Read-In was founded in 1990
- According to the Read-In website, the effort is to make literacy an important part of Black History Month
- Dozens of educators, judges, attorneys and professionals were invited to read to Central High School students
- Students said they enjoyed being read to
It is part of the National African-American Read-In effort established as part of Black History Month to promote literacy.
According to Judge Lori Goodwin, reading is fun! When she reads a book, she says, she can imagine the characters and create the scenes in her head, much like she would in a movie. So she knew she wanted to read to the high school students here at Central High School in Louisville.
“I thought it was great! i love to read I hope the kids enjoyed it,” said Goodwin, a Jefferson County Family Court Judge for Division 3. “I hope I’ve been able to encourage them to read more outside of school.”
Goodwin read an excerpt from The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas.
“Long story short, it’s about the death of a young woman who witnessed the death of her boyfriend who was killed by a police officer and how to use her voice to express the meaning of his life and also the importance of standing up to clarify what she knows right after his death.” Goodwin explained.
“I think they’re incredible,” said Daniyah Hall, a ninth grader at Central High School. “She inspired me, especially because we’re both black. She inspired us young black girls to do better.”
15-year-old Marion Wardlaw, a ninth grader who was also in the class, agreed. “Actually quite nice. I’ve never met a judge,” Wardlaw said.
Goodwin was one of dozens of local celebrities invited to read to Central High School students as part of the African American Read-in. It was created by the Black Caucus of the National Council of Teachers of English.
Librarian Adrian Layne chaired the event at Central.
“If I had had a program like this, where I knew there were people writing books with people who looked like me, I think it would have changed the way I approached my English classes,” Layne explained. “I ended up majoring in English and I discovered Toni Morrison and Alice Walker and all the greats when I got to college. But there was a long time that I never saw books with characters that looked like me.”
The program was established more than 30 years ago to promote black authors and introduce students.
Layne explained, “It’s important to focus on black writers because black people are part of our society and part of our history. I know people often complain, ‘Why is there Black History Month? Why is there an African American read-in tag?’ But despite all the diversity, we still see cases in society where there is still immense racism. One great thing about literature and reading is that it teaches people empathy.”
Ayse Darnell, a psychotherapist, was another of the 27 people who read to the students. She read a passage from “How Long ’till Black Future Month” by NK Jemisin. Darnell’s mother used to teach at Central High School. Darnell is half Turkish and felt it was important to read to the students at the event.
“The ability for someone to say, ‘Hey, this person walked in and read this book by this African American author,’ that might have touched a glimmer of their heart and given them something to think about about what their future might be like,” Darnell remarked.
Layne said they will definitely do it again next year. She hopes they can at least expand the read-in event to other Jefferson Country Public Schools high schools.
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